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OceanFlux: Sea-Spray Aerosol (OSSA)

Oceanflux Sea Spray Aerosol (OSSA) is one of three Oceanflux projects aimed at studies on processes at the air sea interface using satellite observations. Oceanflux is part of the ESA Support to Science Element (STSE), an element of the Earth Observation Envelope Program aiming at reinforcing the scientific component of the ESA Living Planet programme. OceanFlux has been developed in close collaboration with SOLAS ( /solas-int.org ) , the international Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study. The project is active for 24 months starting from November 2011. The Oceanflux Sea-Spray Aerosol (OSSA) team includes three partners:

Finnish Meteorological Institute (Prime Contractor)

FMI has a long-standing experience in sea spray aerosol studies, the use of satellite data and modeling atmospheric processes and their effects on, e.g., climate and air quality. In addition to management, outreach and scientific coordination, FMI leads the global modeling work on the effects of sea spray aerosol on radiative effects on climate using the global climate model ECHAM-HAM which is also used in IPCC simulations.

National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)

NUIG has a very high profile in sea spray aerosol research and the effect of organic matter. A satellite-based parameterization developed by NUIG was recently included in several models. NUIG and FMI worked closely together in the coordination of the EU-FP6 Marine Aerosol Properties (MAP) project. In OSSA NUIG will be responsible for the coordination of the collection of data and in particular take care of all aspects involving organic matter in SSA.

Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research TNO

TNO has a long-standing experience with aerosol transport models, satellite remote sensing of aerosols and the use of satellite results in their models. In recent years these efforts focused on sea spray aerosol. TNO leads the development of the Sea-Spray Source Function parameterization.